A.5.3. Pilot Project Program. This Program has a major impact on Center growth and development. Applications are solicited twice per year and are open to all research faculty of the University. In the past five years, 35 of 57 full Pilot Project applications were from URMC faculty who were not, at the time, members of the EHSC (see section I). Of these 35, 14 projects were in collaboration with Center members, and four eventually became full Center members. Targeted solicitations are particularly useful in building certain research areas and directing more research towards translation efforts. We have further leveraged EHSC Pilot Project dollars with those from the CTSI to emphasize translational research (sections G and I; IHSFC and Pilot Project Program). Funding decisions are made based on excellence of science, potential for obtaining external funding, relevance to the EHSC mission, potential for enhancing collaborations and new Center directions, and ability to enhance translation. This Program is one of the major avenues by which we: achieve communication with Center and University faculty about the Center's objectives, opportunities and resources, support the development of novel ideas and approaches, advance technologies that facilitate and increase the overall quality of our research, enhance the inter- and multidisciplinary nature of research programs through the development of partnerships, and promote career development of junior or new research faculty. Although there are several measures of this Program's success, to date our average return of external funds from dollars spent on the P/7of Project Program is > 20:1 (see section I). Needed dollars to quickly and decisively take advantage of opportunities in technology or research programs are provided through the Director's Fund in the Administrative Core (see A.7. and section F), as well as by funds provided through the IHSFC (section G).